Dogs at work

( Updated: 12/19/2013 )

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Colombian Army soldiers and a bomb-sniffing dog prepare to leave a military base in San Vicente del Caguan, Colombia. Fernando Vergara/AP

Dog handler Christina Oberhauser and her rescue dog Smiley search for survivors in a snow hole during a simulated avalanche rescue operation in the Heutal Valley in Salzburg, Austria, on Feb. 26. During this simulation, rescue dogs learn how to find victims of avalanches as quickly as possible. Kerstin Joensson/AP

An instructor trains puppies at the Ukrainian Border Guard Dog Training Center in Lviv, Ukraine, in June. Every year, the largest dog training center in the country prepares hundreds of trained dogs for Ukrainian border guards as well as for presidential guards and other special forces. Gleb Garanich/Reuters

A dog from the Taiwanese rescue team wears sunglasses at the UN compound in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He accompanied his handler on Jan. 18 as rescue and aid efforts for victims of the Haiti earthquake took place. Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters

Treo, an 8-year-old Labrador from the Military Working Dogs, poses with his Dickin Medal and his handler Sgt. Dave Heyhoe at the Imperial War Museum in London on Feb. 24. The British Lab, whose bomb-sniffing work helped save lives in Afhganistan. was decorated for canine courage. Over the years, a number of animals have been honored with the Dickin medal, including 32 pigeons, three horses, and a cat. Sang Tan/AP

Kaleb Drew and his autism service dog, Chewey, prepare to attend Kaleb's first day of school in Villa Grove, Ill., in August. Like seeing-eye dogs for the blind, trained dogs are now being used to help autistic children. Robin Scholz/AP

A bomb-sniffing dog searches for explosives during a training session at the police college in Baghdad, Iraq, on Feb. 3. The American military is rushing delivery of bomb detection dogs to Iraq, following a request by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government for more canines after questions were raised about whether a bomb detection device widely used at Iraqi checkpoints works, US and Iraqi officials said. Karim Kadim/AP

Ruca, a police dog from the Portuguese National Guard sits on a pile of CDs and DVDs in Queluz, Portugal, in October. After working in drug detection, Ruca was trained to search for polycarbonate, a plastic used for making CDs and DVDs, and now works in street markets around Portugal. Jose Manuel Ribeiro/Reuters

A National Guard policeman and his search dog look for victims among the debris after heavy flooding in the resort island of Madeira on Feb. 22. Portugal's government promised on Monday to quickly send financial aid where violent floods and mudslides killed 42 people, officials said. Duarte Sa/Reuters

After a bomb attack in Karbala, Iraq, where thousands gathered for a religious holiday, security officials use bomb-sniffing dogs to search Shiite pilgrims on Feb. 3. Mushtaq Muhammed/Reuters

Ringo, a bomb-sniffing black Labrador, plays with US Marine Corps dog handler Lance Cpl. William Childs (l.) and trainer Adam Ward (r.), a contractor working for American K-9 Interdiction at the US Marine Combat Outpost Geronimo in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in September. Highly-trained dogs such as Ringo, which are part of the Improvised Detection Dog program, have become part of the process by which US forces help prevent bomb attacks. Brennan Linsley/AP

A Siberian husky licks its owner after finishing a sled dog competition in Vladivostok, Russia, on Jan. 9. Yuri Maltsev/Reuters

Unda, a rescue dog, digs into a hiding place during an avalanche search-and-rescue drill in Nendaz, Switzerland, on Jan. 21. The Swiss and French police forces train once a year to coordinate the involvement of the different units. Denis Balibouse/Reuters

Mexican rescue workers and their dogs walk past destroyed university buildings in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Jan. 16 after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit earlier in the week, devastating the city. Rescue dogs from various nations were brought in to help search for survivors. Daniel Aguilar/Reuters

A German shepherd 'attacks' an officer as part of a presentation for new police dogs in Athens, Greece, on Feb. 11. Police said they have received six trained dogs from Germany and Belgium, to be used for the first time on foot patrols with officers. Another 24 are expected to arrive in the next few months. Thanassis Stavrakis/AP

A bomb-sniffing dog searches a vehicle entering the Marriott Hotel's compound in Jakarta, Indonesia, after the hotel reopened on July 29. Two luxury hotels in Jakarta, which were attacked by suicide bombers in early July, have reopened, staff said. Dadang Tri/Reuters

Canadian Inuit dogs pull a sled using a traditional harness in Iqaluit, Canada, on Feb. 4. Iqaluit is the venue for a G7 session on the global economy, with some representatives being brought into the 7,000-person city by dog sled. Rob Gillies/AP

A dog with the Venezuelan National Guard keeps watch over more than a ton of seized cocaine in Puerto Cabello in July. Edwin Montilva/Reuters

Darel, an ATF explosive detection dog, takes a rest after checking cars for explosives during a demonstration ahead of the Super Bowl in Miami, Fla. The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives showed how the dogs can detect even minute amounts of bomb compounds. Alan Diaz/AP

Close ties between the US and South Korea could become less so under new governments in both countries. The ouster provides an opening for the center-left South Korean opposition, which has criticized trade and military ties with the US.

South Korea’s parliament impeached President Park Geun-hye on Friday for her role in an influence-peddling scandal, with well over the required two-thirds majority of lawmakers – including dozens of members of her own party – voting to oust her.